KIMBERLY - On an afternoon when baseballs were flying over the fence, one last big hit allowed Kimberly to beat Hortonville in a battle of two of the Fox Valley Association’s top teams.

Ryan Carney’s bases-clearing double in the bottom of the fifth inning allowed the Papermakers to retake the lead, which stood up for an 8-6 victory in an action-packed game Thursday at Sunset Park.

Facing Polar Bears starter Adam Buchinger — who had teamed up with Bryce Cross to beat the Papermakers 3-2 on April 21 — Carney laced a fastball to the center-field fence to drive home three runs.

“I faced that same guy the last time we played them in Hortonville and he had me on my back foot a few times,” Carney said. “I was out in front and I couldn’t get anything going. I was waiting to see my pitch this time. I went back on a fastball and that’s the pitch I got, right at the knees, and I drove it.”

What pleased Kimberly coach Ryan McGinnis was the way the FVA-leading Papermakers (11-4 overall, 9-2 FVA) answered Hortonville’s scoring. Even though the Polar Bears (10-5, 7-5) scored in four of the first five innings, Kimberly kept maintaining or retaking the lead.

“It was good for us to have a real quality approach at the plate over the course of a game,” McGinnis said. “It was good to see we answered in those innings when they put a run or three on the board.”

Kimberly’s resolve was tested the most in the fifth inning, when Hortonville’s Tyler Hafeman blasted a three-run home run to left field to give the Polar Bears a 6-5 lead.

But in the bottom half, Kimberly rallied with two outs. Bailey Marasch reached on a fielder’s choice, then Max Anderson singled and Zach Carney walked to set up Ryan Carney’s game-winner.

“Since our last game (a 4-0 win over Neenah last Friday) we’ve been going up there with the mentality to hit the ball hard and not do too much, and I think we did that today,” Ryan Carney said. “We put a few good swings on the ball. We’re waiting for our pitch and driving it.”

Both teams drove the ball with authority Thursday, combining for four home runs and five doubles. Zach Carney and Danny VandenBoom had solo homers for Kimberly, and Dylan Loveland added a solo shot for Hortonville.

Yet Kimberly’s pitchers bore down when the Papermakers needed some quick innings on defense. Starter Tanner Haessly induced a double play in the sixth, and VandenBoom struck out two batters in the seventh to earn a save.

“Tanner’s a quality pitcher, and he didn’t have his best day but he competed,” McGinnis said. “He threw some balls up and they made him pay, and that’s what good teams do, but the thing I feel good about our team is that good teams answer, and Tanner continued to compete and made some quality pitches at some key moments. And Danny came in and threw real well in that last inning.”

As good as Hortonville’s offense was, the Polar Bears allowed Kimberly a few extra bases on wild pitches and wild throws.

“Kimberly played a little cleaner than we did,” Hortonville coach Greg Yeager said. “We gave up a couple of bases and they took advantage of it. They didn’t give up any free bases and they made a couple of nice plays to save runs. In our conference a lot of times that’s going to be the difference in the game, those little plays, those little details.”

Hortonville High School's Dylan Loveland is swarmed by teammates after hitting a home run to tie the baseball game in the second inning against Kimberly High School Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Hortonville High School's starting pitcher Adam Buchinger (47) hangs his head as Kimberly High School's Zach Carney (5) crosses home plate to score a run during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Kimberly High School's Steven Jacobson (14) is late on the tag against Hortonville High School's Bryce Cross (6) as he scores a run during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Kimberly High School's Tanner Haessly pitches against Hortonville High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Hortonville High School's Adam Buchinger pitches against Kimberly High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Kimberly High School celebrates scoring a run against Hortonville High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Hortonville High School's Bryce Cross tries to field a hit by Kimberly High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Kimberly High School's Ryan Carney (25) and Bailey Marasch (7) high-five Zach Carney (5) after he hit a home run to take the lead against Hortonville High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Hortonville High School's Dylan Loveland celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run to tie the baseball game in the second inning against Kimberly High School Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Kimberly High School's Danny VandenBoom (22) throws to first base against Hortonville High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin. At left is Ryan Carney.
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Hortonville High School's Joe Cliver throws to first base against Kimberly High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Kimberly High School's Ryan Carney throws to first base against Hortonville High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Hortonville High School's Bryce Cross throws to first base against Kimberly High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Kimberly High School's Drew Johnson (27) is out at second base as Hortonville High School's Joe Cliver (23) throws to first base during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Officials discuss a call at third base in a baseball game between Kimberly High School and Hortonville High School Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Kimberly High School's coach Ryan McGinnis argues a call by officials on a third base play against Hortonville High School during their baseball game Thursday, May 12, 2016, at Sunset Park in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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